Fire ravages landmark Glasgow School of Art

GLASGOW, Scotland - A major fire has devastated the Glasgow School of Art, a landmark in the Scottish city.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze, which broke out just after noon on Friday, was a "very significant fire."

Flames flared through the roof and windows of the sandstone Art Nouveau building, designed by architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and completed in 1909. A 2009 poll by the Royal Institute of British Architects voted it the best British building of the last 175 years.

RIBA president Stephen Hodder called the fire "an international tragedy."

The school said students and staff were evacuated safely. Many students had been setting up work for an end-of-year degree show.

Students' Association Vice-President Alex Misick said "that's everyone's work over three or four years. Everyone's in tears."